Creamy Butter Bean Curry

The main ingredient in this vegan curry is the butter beans themselves, they have a creamy texture that makes them perfect for curries.  Whether you are a vegan, vegetarian, or simply looking for a hearty meat-free meal, creamy butter bean curry is an excellent choice. 

This dish offers a blend of flavors and textures that will leave you feeling full and satisfied.  For more curry recipes try black bean curry, butternut squash and chickpea curry with red curry paste, vegan yellow curry with mixed vegetables, or creamy red lentil dahl.

Recipe features

• Vegan, dairy-free, and naturally gluten-free!
• The vegan butter bean curry recipe is easy to make!
• It’s freezer-friendly!  Defrost, reheat, and pair it with rice for an easy weeknight dinner.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and the exact measurements.

Butter beans - The recipe calls for 2 cans of butter beans for convenience.  If you cook dry beans yourself, use about 3 cups of cooked butter beans.  Butter beans and lima beans are the same thing.  I prefer the texture of mature butter beans versus green baby lima beans for this curry.  The green ones are firmer and not as soft and creamy as beige mature butter beans.  If you can’t find butter beans, try chickpeas or white beans.

Onion, garlic, and fresh ginger - Any type of onion should work fine, we typically use a yellow onion.  White or red onion will also work.  If you’re not as big of a fan of garlic, use fewer garlic cloves.  Fresh ginger is better than ground ginger.  If you don’t cook with fresh ginger often, it can be frozen to last longer.  Peel the root, stick it in a freezer-safe bag, and freeze.  Then when you’re ready to use it, use a microplane and grate it into the dish being made; there’s no need to thaw.

Jalapeño pepper - To make the dish less spicy, remove the seeds and ribs of the pepper.  To make it more spicy try a Serrano pepper.  The jalapeno can be skipped or crushed red pepper flakes can be used as a garnish for some heat.

Mushrooms - During testing I used white button and baby Bella mushrooms, but most types should work fine.  They add a meaty texture to the curried butter beans, but if you’re not a fan they can be skipped.

Spices - A mix of curry powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, and fresh black pepper will be used to make this butter bean curry.

Coconut milk - Low-fat coconut milk or full-fat coconut milk can also be used. If you use full-fat coconut milk, the curry may be thicker so cooking the curry for the last 5 minutes with the lid off before adding the peas may not be necessary to reduce the curry. For more curries with coconut milk, try potato curry.

Diced tomatoes -  The liquid for the recipe comes from a can of diced tomatoes and coconut milk.  I didn’t test with fresh chopped tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes, so I can’t say for sure how well they’d work.

Tamari- The tamari adds a nice depth of flavor, but it can be substituted with a low-sodium soy sauce.  Regular soy sauce may be too salty.

Frozen peas - No need to thaw, just add frozen peas to the hot curry and they’ll thaw.  They add little pops of sweetness but can be left out if you’re not a fan. If you skip the peas, then try adding fresh spinach.

Lemon juice- It adds a little acidity to finish the dish.  If you skipped the mushrooms and peas, then lime juice should also work fine.  Otherwise, if you don’t have lemon juice on hand then I would skip it instead of using lime juice with mushrooms.

Tips

• The vegan butter bean curry recipe has oil-free instructions, but neutral-tasting oil can be used if you’re not oil-free.  
• Don’t drain the tomatoes, add the tomatoes along with the liquid from the can.
• Don’t use green baby lima beans, beige colored lima beans (butter beans) work best.
• Prepping the onion, ginger, garlic, jalapeño, mushrooms, measuring out the spices, and opening the cans before cooking is very helpful for the recipe to go more smoothly.
• Having a small cup of water or a squirt bottle of water nearby is helpful if the onions, mushrooms, or spices start to stick.  Add a tablespoon of water at a time to prevent burning.
• I use a large sauté pan with a lid to cook the curry.  If you opt for a large stockpot then the curry may not reduce and thicken as much as it needs to.  Try cooking with the lid off for most of the cooking to reduce. If you are using full-fat coconut milk, keep an eye on it so it doesn't reduce too much.

How to make butter bean curry

For the recipe to go smoother, prep the onions, garlic, ginger, jalapeño, and mushrooms, measure out the spices, and open the cans before starting to cook.

Start the delicious vegan butter bean curry by preheating a non-stick large sauté pan with a lid, and cook the diced onions with a pinch of salt until translucent over medium heat. For oil-free cooking add a splash of water if the onions start to stick or cook the curry using a neutral-tasting oil (or coconut oil).

Then add the diced mushrooms and cook until they shrink in size and start to brown.

Then add the garlic, ginger, and jalapeño pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, and black pepper, and coat the onions and mushrooms.  Cook for about 1 minute.  

Be sure to not burn the spices.  Having a glass of water nearby is helpful for oil-free cooking: add a tablespoon at a time to prevent burning.

Then add the diced tomatoes (don’t drain them, use the liquid too), coconut milk, butter beans, tamari, and salt.  Bring to a gentle boil, then lower to a gentle simmer, and cook for 15 minutes with the lid on over low heat.

After 15 minutes, remove the lid and continue cooking for another 5 minutes for the sauce to reduce. If you are using full-fat coconut milk this step may not be necessary if it has already thickened.

Then add the peas and cook uncovered for another 5 minutes.  Once the peas have warmed through, add the fresh lemon juice and taste.  Adjust seasoning if needed.

Serving suggestions

Serve the curried butter beans with brown rice, white rice, or basmati rice.  Instead of rice try it with naan or cauliflower rice.

Frequently asked questions

Storage

Store: Leftover butter bean curry can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 5 days.

Freeze: It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.  Store in the freezer in a freezer-safe container with about 2 inches of room at the top of the container for the liquid to expand when frozen.  If you serve it with rice, don’t freeze the curried butter beans with rice.

Reheat: Thaw frozen curry in the fridge overnight, then warm in a saucepan on the stove stirring occasionally or in the microwave until warmed through.

Related recipes

• Red lentil dahl
• Curry butternut squash chickpea soup

I hope you enjoy the vegan butter bean recipe!  If you enjoyed it feel free to rate it and leave a comment.